Transfer device for continuous spoolers



Sept. 18, 1956 c. o. BRUESTLE ;'z,76.3442v TRANSFER DEVICE FORCONTINUOUS SPOOLEJRS Filed 001;. 8, 1954 United States Patent Otiice2,763,442 Patented Sept. 18, 1956 TRANSFER DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSsPOoLERs Carl 0. Bruestle, Metuchen, N. J., assignor to Syncro MachineCompany, Perth Amboy, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationOctober 8, 1954, Serial No. 461,265

4 Claims. (Cl. 242-25) mechanism for use in connection with the transferof the t wire from a full to an empty spool in a continuous spoolingmachine whereby the wire is clamped at its initial end with respect tothe empty spool and trapped, guided or held for a predetermined lengthto provide a free end, and then guided onto the core of the empty spool,which is then filled.

The detailed object of the invention will be apparent from the followingdisclosure of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in theattached drawings.

ln these drawings,

Figure 1 is a face elevational view of one of the guiding and clampingdevices forming part of this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View on the line 2f2 of Figure 1 throughthe spooler shafts showing `the association of the device of Figure 3with the aligned adjacent ends of these shafts, and including adiagrammatic illustration of the adjacent ends of the two spools;

Figure 3 is an elevational view as it appears from the plane 3-3 ofFigure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the end of one of the spooler shaftsassociated with the structure of Figure 1.

This invention comprises an improvement in that portion of a continuouswire spooling machine which becomes active at the time the wire istransferred from a `full spool to an empty spool. Machines of this typeare disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,424,021, issued July 15,1947, to John Cook and in my United States Patent No. 2,600,841, grantedJune 17, 1952.

Machines of this type are capable of continuous operation at high speedsfor the purpose of effecting rapid spooling of wire. An end object ofthis invention is to provide in such a machine for the formation of afree or projecting initial end of the wire for each spool. In otherwords a finished loaded spool. has bothends of the wire exposed. This isfor purposes of convenience in connection with further processing ofthewire, as those skilled in the art `will understand.

Referring to the drawings, there.has1been illustrated fin Figure 2 themanner in which the pair of spool :supporting shafts 26 and 28 whichform a part of one type of continuous spooler are now Widely used in theindustry. The shafts 26 and 28 are power driven and are mounted on acommon axis with their free ends closely spaced. The ends of the shafts26 and 28 are provided with a plurality of axial projections 26a and28a. The exact formation with regard to shaft 28 is shown in Figure 4.These shafts are hollow and are provided with internal threads at theirfree ends which receive flanged threaded sleeves 38 and 40 on which aremounted a pair of circular plates 34 and 36. These plates are of similarconstruction, as illustrated in the case of the plate 36 in Figure 3,and are provided with three openings 36a, angularly displaced 120degrees. These openings are dimensioned and spaced to receive theprojecting ends 28a of the shaft 28 in that case. The construction withregard to the plate 34 and shaft 26 is the same as that illustrated inFigures 3 and 4.

Mounted on the circular plates 36 and 34 are a pair of plate supports 30and 32 respectively which are shown in the form of discs having centralapertures so that they will fit upon the discs 34 and 36 when riveted totheir flanges, as clearly shown in the various figures. The plates 34and 36 are secured on the threaded hubs 38 and 40 by means of snap rings42 and 44, so that the hubs 38 and 40 can be rotated with respect to theplates 34 and 36 to facilitate engagement of the threads on the hub withthe threads on the shafts 26 and 28, This provides for ease in mountingthese assemblies on the rings.

Each of the discs 30 and 32 is of similar construction and each isprovided with three clamping devices and three flanged ledge orsupporting members, as clearly shown in Figure 1. The clamping devicesin the case of the disc 32 consist of L-shaped plates 52, 54 and 56,riveted to the discs near their peripheries so as to project radiallythereof. Associated with each of the L-shaped plates 52, 54 and S6 is acooperating plate 60, 62 and 64, which are riveted to `the disc 32adjacent the members 52, 54 and 56, so as to provide a tapered clampingslot at each position, as shown in Figure 1. The pairs of members 52,60; 54, 62 and 64, 56 are preferably of hardened steel to withstand theimpact forces which they must meet in operation. These clampingassemblies are arranged with equal arcuate spacing, that is they areangularly displaced degrees. The construction of the disc 31) issimilar, only one of the L-shaped plates 76 appearing in Figure 2.

With respect to Figure 1, assuming that in use the disc 32 would rotatein a clockwise direction, there is associated with each clamping devicein a trailing position with respect to rotation, an arcuate guide memberwhich has an L.shaped cross-section, as is clear from Figure 2. Theseguide members are shown at 46, 431 and 50 and are provided withstruck-out tabs 50*l in the case of the guide S0, which project radiallyinto overlapping relation with the disc 32 so as to be Welded or rivetedthereto, as clearly shown in the drawings, One of these guide membersfor f the disc 30 is shown at 68 in Figure 2, it being understood assuggested before that the construction for disc 30 is the same as thatfor disc32. The leading end for each of these guides, as shown at 50h,Figure l, in the case ,of the guide 50, converges to a blunt pointedend, the outer defining edge of Vwhich lies below the outermost edge ofthe associated `hardened clamping jaw member 64 so that this convergingend will not interfere with the desired clamping action.

As is clear from Figure 2, the guides in the case of disc 32, for themajor portion of their length are positioned so that one edge of theirL-Shaped formation 'lies substantially in the plane of theouter face ofthe disc 32 and projects axially therefrom beyond the opposite side or"the idisc. However, at the leading pointed end Sill, adjacent theclamping slot the horizontal portion of the member 50 is cut away to iitaround the associated plates 56 and 64. This construction is .the sameat each of the clamping positions for each of the `discs 36 and 32.

The adjacent ends of a pair of spools are illustrated in Figure 2, toshow how the spools are associated with the mechanism described. Thespools are of the built-up metal type, as illustrated, and consist ofcylindrical cores 10 and 12 which are telescoped over the respectiveshafts 26 and 27. These cores are respectively provided with spool heads14 and 16 which have central openings and flanges at 18 and 20 which fitwithin the cores it? and 12 and are secured thereto as by welding, Theouter peripheries of the spool heads are beaded over and when clamped inposition on the spooler shafts these beaded edges lie within and aresupported by the arcuate guides of the respective discs 30 and 32. Thespools, of course, are symmetrically constructed at each end, as is Wellunderstood in the art.

In the operation of this device, and with respect to Figure 2, it willbe assumed that the power driven shafts 26 and 28 are rotating in thesame direction, that is so that at the top the spools and discs arerotating towards the observer. From a study of Figure 1 it will be seenthat as a result the clamping devices at the top will be approaching theobserver at their open ends, which means that the asociated guides willbe trailing the clamping slots.

As disclosed in the patents mentioned above, and as is very wellunderstood in vthis art, in spooling machines of this type a wiretraversing guide is positioned so as to guide the wire to the spoolswith an axial lead such as to lay the wire in smooth layers on the spoolcores in contiguous convolutions. Referring again to Figure 2, andassuming that the traversing wire guide which moves axially of thespools is in front of the spools, that is between the spools and theviewers position, the operation of this transfer mechanism will bedescribed. We will further assume that the lefthan-d spool of Figure 2is about full and that the outermost layer of wire is being wound on it.The wire guide is thus traversing from left to right and at is completesthe last layer in moving to the right the wire will finally be broughtup to spool head 14.

In machines of this type relevant driving speeds for the shafts 26 and28 are automatically provided so that the peripherial speed of the core12 of the righthand spool will be equal to the peripherial speed at theouter surface of the full spool. The rate of Wire feed to the spooler isconstant and this means, therefore, that at the time of transfer of thewire from a full to an empty spool the empty spool must be traveling ata greater number of revolutions per minute than is the full spool. Inpractice this means that at the time of transfer shaft 28 will berevolving at about twice the number of revolution per minute as is shaft26.

As is also well understood in this art, the transversing wire guide isgiven an accelerated lead at the instant the lefthand spool is iilled soas to guide the wire across the periphery of the full spool and to bringit somewhere in approximate alignment with the righthand faces of theclamping device of the disc 32. Since, ofcourse, the disc 32 istraveling with the spool 12, 16 at the same peripherial speed, the wirewill be brought into the path of one of the clamping devices 52, 60; 54,62 or 56, 64, whichever happens to be closest to the transfer point atthe time of transfer. As a result the closest clamp forcibly strikes thewire and jams it in its slot. Since this clamping device is movingrapid-ly it moves on past the transfer point and causes the wire to belaid onto the associated guide 50 until it reaches its trailing end,whereupon it drops olf and begins to wrap up on the core 12, startingthe lirst convolution adjacent the inside face of the spool head 16.This action can be assured by proper axial position of the wire guide onthe transverse distributor, if this guide is moved to a position to theright of the ange on the guide, that is in a plane closely adjacent theinside face of the spool head 16.

As those in this art know, suitable wire cutting devices of which anumber of forms are available, are positioned so as to sever the Wirebetween its point of clamping referred to above and the full spool. Thiscutting device forms no part of this invention. The nal result is thatthere is an end of wire which is the initial end of the Wire being woundon the entry spool which extends ap proximately from the bight of theclamping slot, along the trailing associated ledge, and then downradially from the trailing end of the ledge to the core. Thus, the freeend of the wire will be substantially equal to the distance of thetrailing edge of the ledge and the bight of the slot. This very lengthcan be increased by making the ledges or guides 46, 48 and 50 of greaterarcuate length.

It is immaterial when the traversing guide causes the wire to cross overthe adjacent spool edge, because even if the wire is starting to catchin one of the clamping devices associated With the full spool theclosest approaching clamping device associated with the empty spoolmoving so much faster will quickly pick up the Wire and jam it into theslot.

It is obvious that the reverse operations can occur when the righthandspool is full and the previously iilled spool has been removed andreplaced with an empty spool. During the period while an empty spool isbeing filled a full spool can be removed and replaced by an empty spool.

The construction illustrated is such that various sizes of discs 30 and32 can be mounted on the shafts 26 and 28 to adapt this mechanism fordifferent spool sizes.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that the subject matter of this invention is capable of modilicationWithout departure from the basic substance, and I prefer, therefore, tobe limited as required by the claims and not by the single illustrativeembodiment herein disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a Wire spooling machine comprising a pair of axially aligned spoolshafts, a pairs of discs attached to the respective adjacent ends ofsaid shafts, clamping devices secured to the peripheries of said discsrespectively, and wire supporting means secured to said discsrespectively at their peripheries on the trailing sides of said clampingdevices to provide a ledge onto which the initial length of wire beingcoiled on each spool is laid.

2. In the combination of claim 1, said wire supporting means eachcomprising an arcuate axially extending strip lhaving a radial ange.

3. In the combination of claim l, said wire supporting means eachcomprising an arcuate axially extending strip having a radial ange, saidstrip overhanging the spool side of the disc with its flange on thespool side edge.

4. In the combination of claim 1, said wire supporting means eachcomprising an arcuate axially extending strip having a radial flange,the end of said strip and flange adjacent the clamping device beingpointed and diverging in a trailing direction, the ilange at the pointedend being offset with respect to the clamping device.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,393,286 Hosford Oct. 11, 1921 1,672,984 Marchev June l2, 19282,600,841 Bruestle June 17, 1952

